[Patient engagement, raising awareness and improving care.]

Research on citizen and patient health engagement is growing and enriching with contributions from many different disciplines. Quantitative studies, even randomized studies, are demonstrating that, if the parameter of patient engagement is measured, we really start to see effects, both in terms of improving therapeutic adherence, and in terms of increasing preventive behaviors. Improvement of subjective parameters, linked to the perceived quality of life, is measured. Patient engagement can also have a positive impact from the point of view of health expenditure. A very intriguing field of research concerns the reasons why certain behaviors are not activated, or are activated in a certain direction and not in another: it must be taken into consideration that patients may be more or less willing, from a motivational and psychological point of view, to be involved and this choice must be respected. In fact, the subjective dimension of why, if, how and when the patient is available to get involved in the engagement initiatives should be taken into account and in some way systematized.